This invention relates generally to cash boxes for use in conjunction with currency handling devices for vending machines, and the like, and particularly to an expandable cash box for bill validator devices which provides automatic enlargement of the cash box capacity during use.
Devices which transport, validate and stack currency and particularly those which stack and store bills are wellknown in the vending and entertainment industry. Such devices are often used in conjunction with vending machines which typically include a bill transport system which validates and delivers bills to a cash box, in which the bills are stacked following validation and prior to collection.
In general, such cash boxes have a fixed capacity and are intended to hold a specified number of bills. A typical cash box is integrally formed with the bill validator or is attached to the validator by means of an adapter and includes a lid or cover by which bills can readily be accessed.
Vending machine capacity requirements are continually increasing to cater to increasing product prices and cash boxes capacity requirements have similarly increased. This demand is satisfied by providing variable capacity cash boxes which are selected to suit the capacity need. However, such customized cash boxes require an inventory of various cash box sizes.
A recent improvement has been the development of modular cash box units which can be snapfitted together to provide the desirable capacity. A cash box of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,673 owned by the assignee of the present invention. Such cash boxes work well but require removal and replacement of the desired number of units to suit a particular capacity.
This invention solves this and other problems and provides increased cash box capacity in a manner not revealed or suggested in the known prior art.
This enlarged capacity cash box is particularly suitable for bill handling and validating devices and utilizes an expandable feature which automatically adjusts to the desired size by virtue of telescoped interconnected housing portions which expand under pressure from the received bills urged into the cash box by a bill validator stacking plunger.
The cash box includes a first housing providing a chassis which nests inside a second housing providing a sliding enclosure. As the number of bills pushed in the cash box increases, a pressure builds up which causes the sliding enclosure to slide away from the chassis. This sliding motion expands the size of the cash box, allowing more bills to be stored inside. This expansion continues until either the box reaches its maximum size or the sliding enclosure encounters resistance from the vending mac hine in which it is mounted.
A particular advantage of this expandable capacity cash box is that it expands in size to optimize dollar bill capacity to the vending machine envelope that it is mounted in. Another advantage is that it can be collapsed to a nominal size for shipping, inventory, to fit within small enclosures, and when in use can be collapsed to prevent crushing. Yet another advantage is that field personnel do not need to determine the appropriate size of cash box to usewith exactitude.
This expandable cash box system for storing bills includes a first housing portion providing a chassis having an open end adapted to receive a bill from a bill validator to which it is attached. The cash box includes a second housing portion providing a sliding enclosure disposed in telescopic sliding relation to the first housing. A spring-loaded compressor plate is disposed within said housing portions and adapted to stack and store bills within said housing portions. The cash box includes means for controlling the sliding telescopic relation between said housing portions and thereby the capacity of the cash box.
It is an aspect of this invention to provide that said means for controlling the telescopic relation between the housing portions includes interacting index members.
It is another aspect of this invention to provide that said means for controlling the telescopic sliding relation between the housing portions includes ratchet means.
It is an aspect of this invention to provide that the said first housing portion includes opposed side walls each having a plurality of grooves and the second housing portion includes opposed side walls disposed adjacent associated side walls of the first housing portion and including at least one resilient finger selectively engageable with said grooves.
It is still another aspect of this invention to provide guide means between the housing portions for guiding the housing portions during relative telescopic movement to maintain alignment between said portions.
It is yet another aspect of this invention to provide that the guide means includes cooperating slots and projections received by the slots in guided relation.
It is still another aspect of this inveniton to provide that one of said housing portions includes at least one slot having associated slot ends and the other of said housing includes a stop engageable with an associated slot end to prevent separation of said housing portions.
It is yet another aspect of this invention to provide that said second housing portion includes an upper portion providing a bill accessible opening, and a cover is provided for said opening.
It is an aspect of this invention to provide that said recesses include elongate slots, and said projections include T-shaped members received by said slots in retained relation.
Still another aspect of this invention to provide means for providing a flat interior surface within the cash box to facilitate movement of bills therewithin.
It is another aspect of the invention to provide that the means for controlling the sliding telescopic relation between said housing portions includes friction resistance between the housing portions.
It is still another aspect of the invention to provide that the means for controlling the sliding telescopic relation between said housing portions includes stop means between said portions, and another aspect to provide that said control means includes an external stop means provided by the vending machine.
This expandable cash box is relatively simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and easy to use.